all right welcome back everyone for another deep dive today we're waiting into the sometimes murky sometimes Sparkling Waters of online reviews oo that's a good one you know those star ratings those paragraphs of Praise or rants those little thumbs up or down that we see everywhere online yeah they're everywhere you guys sent us a ton of Articles and research on this a lot to unpack so we're going to dive deep into how those reviews can seriously make or break a business absolutely we'll also look at some tricks for spotting The Fakes um yes those because you know they're out there and maybe best of all we'll give you some tips on how to leave reviews that actually make a difference yes the power of the review all right so let's Jump Right In let's do it I was reading that something like 95% of Shoppers check online reviews before they buy anything wow that's almost all of us pretty much so we're making decisions sometimes big ones based on what complete strangers say online it's incredible the power they have right it's like we're putting a ton of trust in these Anonymous voices it really is and that's what's got me kind of fascinated but also a little bit wary oh absolutely cuz how do we know if those strangers are being honest yeah how do you sift through it all exactly so that brings this to the big problem okay lay it on me fake reviews y the dreaded fake reviews they can totally mislead Shoppers and really hurt businesses that are doing everything right it's a real issue it's like imagine you're an athlete competing in the Olympics but some of your Rivals are using performance-enhancing drugs oh not cool it's just not fair no definitely not so let's talk about how we can spot those fake reviews okay let's equip our listeners with some detective skills so let's say I'm online all right and I'm about to buy you know a super plush bathrob sounds cozy I like to be comfy as you should so what are some red flags I should look out for in those reviews we'll first look at the details or rather the lack of them okay a fake review is often super vague like well it might just say something generic like this product is great love it but it doesn't actually tell you anything useful you know like why is it great yeah it's like saying a movie is good without explaining what you liked about it exactly okay what else we look for look out for over-the-top enthusiasm okay like tons of exclamation points you know yeah I've seen those or everything's written in all caps like they're shouting at you exactly and they might say it's the best thing ever like they're trying to sell you something exactly now sometimes people are just really excited about a product oh yeah of course but sometimes it's a sign that the review is not genuine right it feels a bit forced okay now what about when you see multiple reviews using almost the same phrases Ah that's a classic sign like word for word yeah or very similar wording okay that could mean those reviews were generated by Bots Bots yeah computer programs that can churn out text that looks like a real person wrote it that's scary it can be hard to tell the difference sometimes okay so we got to be extra careful definitely be cautious now let's shift gears a bit right let's talk about how businesses can encourage genuine reviews The Good The Bad The Honest ones ah yes that's crucial one of the Articles we read emphasized that simply asking for feedback is a great start you'd be surprised how effective that can be really yeah many customers are happy to share their experiences if you just make it easy for them so what like sending a follow-up email after someone makes a purchase with a link to a review platform exactly or a little popup on their screen okay makes sense you can also offer a small incentive like a discount exactly maybe a little something off their next purchase so they're more likely to leave a review it can be a good motivator but here's a key point I picked up okay what's that make sure the incentive is neutral what do you mean by that like you're not just rewarding people for positive reviews oh oh I see you want to encourage honest feedback whether it's good or bad you want the whole picture absolutely because those authentic reviews they build trust they really do and they can also help businesses figure out what they're doing well and where they can improve it's a win-win situation I like that absolutely all right so now let's talk about our role as reviewers yes we all have a part to play Because when we leave thoughtful reviews we're actually helping to create a more trustworthy onl online world it's like contributing to a collective knowledge base I like that we can help each other make informed decisions okay so let's say I'm about to write a review all right fire away what should I keep in mind be specific don't just say something was great or terrible give details yeah tell people what you specifically liked or disliked like going back to the bathroom example instead of just saying it's so soft I might say the fabric is incredibly plush and it feels amazing against my skin perfect that paints a picture and I guess it's important to mention both the good and the bad right absolutely be balanced not just focus on the negatives if I had a bad experience or exaggerate the positives if you loved it right it's all about honesty and helping others make informed decisions that's what it boils down to okay now there was one more thing in these articles that I found really interesting I'm intrigued tell me more it's about Ai Ai and reviews huh yeah apparently AI is becoming really good at spotting fake reviews really it's like having a lie detector for the internet wa there are companies using special algorithms to analyze patterns and reviews fascinating they can look at the language the timing of the reviews even the history of the reviewer so they can pick up on those subtle clues that we might miss exactly it's pretty amazing stuff it sounds like it could be a game changer it could be for businesses and consumers alike so it seems like we're heading towards a future where it's going to be harder and harder to get away with fake reviews that's good news so before we wrap up this deep dive what's your biggest takeaway from all of this H you know for me it's The Importance of Being a critical thinker okay don't just blindly trust everything you see online especially those glowing five-star reviews we can't just take things at face value exactly look for those red flags we talked about dig a little deeper and form your own opinion I love that be an informed and Savvy consumer and if you're a business owner yes remember that authenticity is King it's everything encourage those genuine reviews both good and bad and then use that feedback to improve it's the best way to build trust now here's a final thought to leave you with okay H me with it imagine a world where every business had a trust score a trust score yeah like a rating that reflects the authenticity of their reviews interesting would that change the way you shopped online that's a great question it's something to think about it is all right well thanks for joining us for this deep dive into the sometimes wild world of on online reviews it's been a pleasure we'll catch you next time for another exploration until then bye everyone
